Snowflakes on the Right: Conservative Hecklers Shut Down Speakers at Whittier College

Life comes at you fast.

Last week, at Whitter College in California, guest speakers were heckled by angry members of the audience, forcing organizers to end the event early.

This time, the hecklers were neither liberal nor students. They were conservative activists, and adults (in age, if not temperament).

The speakers were California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Assembly Leader Ian Calderon. They had pledged to answer questions from the general public, but several irate MAGA-hat-wearing audience members were intent on hijacking the event from the get-go. Arthur Schaper, a pro-Trump activist, interrupted the speakers constantly with cries of "Respect our president!" and "Build the wall!" and also accusations like "Corruption!" and "Pothead!" At one point he told the woman seated in front of him—who wanted to actually hear Calderon and Becerra—that she was a lying twat.

The whole thing was captured on video. The video footage was taken by the hecklers. They were evidently proud of their actions.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education's Adam Steinbaugh first brought this incident to my attention. According to Steinbaugh:

The First Amendment specifically protects the right to demand a redress of grievances, and government should not have the power to punish any and every instance of incivility or protest — including during meetings and discussions on a college campus. But the right to criticize and protest public officials does not encompass a right to intentionally prevent a speaker from addressing an audience in a closed space.

This is exactly what the protesters were doing: Because Becerra is a critic of Trump and a part of the lawsuit against DACA, he deserved to be shouted down, in their view.

This shameful act of censorship is a good reminder that even though angry far-left students are at fault in the majority of recent college free speech debacles, they are by no means the only or paramount threat to the First Amendment—on campus or anywhere else. Such a distinction belongs first and foremost to President Trump, whose repeated calls for muzzling of the press and abridgments of the speech rights of people he dislikes are, in the opinion of The Atlantic's eminently reasonable civil libertarian Conor Friedersdorf, grounds for impeachment. Trump's censorious supporters in California seem cut from the same cloth.

Indeed, recent events are proving that the current censorious impulse on the left is widely shared by the administrative right, even on campus. Take Drexel University Professor George Ciccariello-Maher, a far-left activist who routinely uses his Twitter platform to castigate free speech as a tool of oppression. Recently, Drexel placed Ciccariello-Maher on administrative leave after the professor blamed the Las Vegas shooting on "the white supremacist patriarchy, stupid." Life comes at you fast, particularly if you are a critic of extending free speech rights to offensive speakers who nevertheless needs these protections to defend your own deeply offensive views.

Drexel weakly asserted that it was looking out for Ciccariello-Maher's personal safety—conservatives were none too happy with his tweets—demonstrating once again how dangerous it is to prioritize nebulous safety concerns over free expression. The professor absolutely deserves to make controversial statements on Twitter, even though he himself would not agree if the shoe was on the other foot. Beware campus leftists who want to end the discussion before it begins, and beware conservatives—and their friend in the White House—who would censor their foes with the exact same enthusiasm.

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And surely one must blame, and ban, that rag of a journal for not yet denouncing the “First Amendment dissent” of a single, isolated, so-called judge in our nation’s leading criminal “satire” case. See:

Or it was street theatre to underline to the left that they may not always have friendly administrators on every campus in the country.

Technical note: Censorship is only possible by a government agency. What the left (and in this case the right) does in suppressing free speech is merely a conspiracy to prevent civil rights, not censorship.

Technical note: Censorship is only possible by a government agency. What the left (and in this case the right) does in suppressing free speech is merely a conspiracy to prevent civil rights, not censorship.

Does you’re dictionary have a handy guide as to how to distinguish official party actors, sympaticoes, and plain old useful idiots? Is it the one cent of federal funding rule?

I would also add that despite there being police officers present, the campus police and administration were completely paralyzed, because if they (rightly) dragged these jerks away, the hypocrisy would lead them straight to civil court.

Schaper, a 36-year-old unemployed Torrance resident and blogger, usually shows up at public meetings in his red Make America Great Again cap, wearing a Trump flag as a cape. He records his escapades on cellphone video, narrating in real time as he trolls in real life.

This is what Trump meant when he talked about being sick and tired of #winning.

Fantastic. Way to become the monster you’re fighting. Everybody loses!

They were never truly fighting for free speech. It was a nothing more than provocation to show the (obvious) contempt for free speech on the campus left. It’s just part of a feedback loop constructed by illiberals on both the left and right.

Both are tribalistic reactionary movements that have no regard for principle, but rather for what “feels right”.

Hey at least there’ll be one positive outcome to this: now that conservative students are starting to act like idiots to disrupt events, college administrators will suddenly rediscover the virtues of free speech, and of discipline for those who would deny it.

I wondered when my alma mater was going to show up on Robby’s beat. I have to say I’m pretty proud that the disruptive assholes aren’t students (who are dependably lefty but always respectful of speakers and articulate in their questions/criticisms), but a gaggle of outside MAGA losers.

I’ll open myself to accusations of hypocrisy and say that I support this only if it’s done once or twice to highlight how dumb it is. Shutting down your ideological opponent’s ability to speak is childish and should be called out regardless of who is doing so. I’ll be interested to see how this story is covered elsewhere and if the instance is used to downplay how censorious and anti-1A the left has become

People can’t seem to grasp that there are a few specific traits that must be found to correctly apply the snowflake pejorative. The entitlement from an undo sense of preciousness seems to be missing here. These are just assholes.

Assholes indeed. A key distinction here too is that they’re just trolling. The commie people are 4 serius yo! Not saying some Trump people wouldn’t be, but these guys aren’t I don’t think. They’re in it for the lulz and such like.

Of course not, he’s comparing bringing attention to an issue to bringing attention to an issue. Not exactly the worst, ‘worst comparison ever’, ever, but it rates at least a mild, ‘pff’, sans eyeroll (too much effort).

It seems as “discussion” cannot occur nowadays. People want to scream and yell at each other instead of having constructive, informative, discussions. Cussing others and calling women “twats” is childish and a bit idiotic. It will do nothing in edifying the masses!

I am all for punishing and expelling these guys, just like I want the people on the left who pull this crap expelled and punished. What I am not for, however, is punishing these guys and not punishing the left. A double standard is worse than no standard.

If the left is going to act like this, it was inevitable that the right would eventually start doing the same. Saying that is not “whataboutism” (which is one of the dumber phrases to come out of the last two years). It is just stating a fact. If the left doesn’t like the new rules being applied to them, they should have thought about that when they threw away the old rules when dealing with the right.

I was going to point out the same thing about “whataboutism.” It’s not a dumb phrase. The tactic is used all the time to avoid taking any blame/responsibility. It’s always easier to point the finger at someone else. John doesn’t have any real principles, though. So, whataboutism is one of go-tos.

I was going to point out the same thing about “whataboutism.” It’s not a dumb phrase. The tactic is used all the time to avoid taking any blame/responsibility. It’s always easier to point the finger at someone else. John doesn’t have any real principles, though. So, whataboutism is one of go-tos.

How so?

Reading his post, he favors punishment for them as he does for all who do this. He also points out that simply deciding that rules no longer apply can go bad in a whole lot of ways you didn’t foresee when you started. And if only ONE side ever gets punished, that is, honestly, worse than nobody getting punished. It moves the state from “incompetent” to “malicious towards side”, which is going to end exceptionally badly.

Reading his post, he favors punishment for them as he does for all who do this.

There is a legal distinction between protesting public servants and protesting private-speakers

as robby pointed out in the mention of “petition the government for a redress of grievances” clause.

Students trying to silence invited speakers and disrupting events could certainly receive *administrative* punishments and not be in violation of any 1st amdmt protections.

private citizens attending public speaking events by public officials would have far better legal protections against any attempts to “punish” them. They’re not students so there’s no prospect of administrative penalty.

There is no possibility of any “same standard” because the situations are in fact entirely different. Insisting they be treated the same is stupid. particularly considering some people making this point are lawyers who should know better.

John’s right that it’s not whataboutism if you are using it to hold both sides to the same standard, rather than as a shield for your side to hide behind.

John’s wrong in that these aren’t students so they can’t be expelled. He’s not wrong in saying they should be punished, as long as we hold both political wings to the same standard, and punish such agitators regardless of their affiliation.

The accusation that John has no principles seems pretty baseless. He just has a different set than you most likely.

If the left is going to act like this, it was inevitable that the right would eventually start doing the same.

Neither side of the illiberal coin has any interest in principles like freedom of speech. That’s how primitive tribalism works: reactionism is in its DNA. Reactionary movements aren’t sustainable, either, they rely on a vacuum to fill and operate in.

The problem for them is, when the reactionism is tapped out and the vacuum shrinks, they are left rudderless with no meaning or principle.

If the speakers at Whittier had previously drowned out a speech by the hecklers at Whittier you’d have a point. Otherwise this make no sense. Why should a left-leaning speaker be harassed simply because some unrelated left-leaning people harassed someone else in unrelated incidents? And why should right-leaning individuals not be punished simply because someone else in a similar, but unrelated, incident wasn’t punished?

Since John’s comment was a generalization and made no reference to differing situations, and in fact implied equivalent situations (“I want the people on the left who pull this crap….”), it appears that your reply is a big non sequitur.

Here, let’s all pay attention to the important part of what John said instead of quibbling over the inanities–

What I am not for, however, is punishing these guys and not punishing the left. A double standard is worse than no standard.

And Gilmore IS right–there IS a legal distinction between protesting public servants and protesting private-speakers–and people on the right get called out for protesting public officials(which they have an absolute right to do) while people on the left are given a pass when they protest and shut down private speakers–which they have no actual right to do.

John gets flabbergasted because Robbie is forever ‘to be suring’ on behalf of leftists and every attempt to point that out (as in the fact that this entire article is a ‘to be sure’ on behalf of leftists) results in the Reason White Knight Brigade rushing in to take umbrage at anyone trying to slow the inexorable creep leftwards–so John tried to be evenhanded, in a Soavesque fashion to avoid that.

It didn’t work. At this point, they’re all duckspeakers, triggered by screen names more than anything else, responding with no more actual thought that a sea slug ingesting through it’s anus.

I don’t do (much) code, but plenty of other ‘trouble-shooting’ and you’re right. The fact that it works now may be covering several contradictory band-aid fixes which ALL have to be simultaneously removed to for the product to work again.

In some cases I agree about two wrongs not making a right, but in other cases it can be considered justice. I don’t think this should be a trend, but it was inevitable. A few instances of this to make a point I am all in favor of.

Of course all political discourse could be turning into pseudo riots/mobs any old time now anyway, so this, but 10x bigger, could be the norm on both sides shortly. We’ll see. At this point I hardly even care. I’m so pissed at the lefty lunatics right now I don’t even care if they just start getting beat down in the streets on the regular. If they’re going to play dirty, then maybe the right has to too. At a certain point you’re only being a fool with the “take the high ground” thing.

How far would taking the high ground have got anybody in the Russian Empire while the commies were taking over?

If the Czar had rounded up and shot all of the mid level on up people that were known to be communists it would have saved tens of millions of lives. Not that I’m saying THAT sort of thing is a good thing or acceptable, but obvious real world examples like that are why people toss principles aside so easily in hairy situations… Because principles can and do hold you back sometimes, especially when the enemy is playing dirty.

We won the Revolutionary War partially because we were willing to play dirty, and the British weren’t. A million other examples could be brought up too. So it’s all about picking the correct time and place to dispense with principles. Stick to them 99% of the time, and make sure the 1% when you do break them it’s proportional and actually needed.

Not that the Left doesn’t have it coming, but we (on the Right) have to try and be better than them. Otherwise the Alt-Left has a leg to stand on. Please people, let the Left embarrass themselves; don’t embarrass us.

I dunno about these particular guys, but a lot of people are honestly just 100% down with stoking the fire until people are straight up just violently attacking/killing each other in the streets. In which case the right would almost certainly win, because the left is filled with a bunch of pussy gender studies majors etc. I’m not in favor of that… But if it happened I wouldn’t feel too bad for the lefties at this point. They started all the extra ridiculous shit, so if it ends up turning violent it’s their own doing. I’ll watch it all on YouTube LOLing and shed not a tear.

Both sides do it. I don’t consider myself on the right or left, I’m a libertarian and have attributes of both. What I don’t have is zealotry and I won’t accept shouting down as legitimate free speech. Free speech only extends as far as it doesn’t shut down my right to free speech as well. These people need to be escorted off the premises, with violence if necessary. If they’re ready to debate then calm the fuck down and debate.

They saw how successful the left was at shutting down speakers and decided to do it themselves?? You can’t beat success. But of course, the right tends to get a different response to their actions than the left does. And it’s a Pyrrhic, short-term victory because it ends up accomplishing very little in terms of the political debate.

Thing is, there is no political debate anymore. It’s all come down to shouting, with neither side listening to the other. Mostly instigated by the left, but the right is through listening to their nonsense now too. So I don’t even know where it goes from here other than escalating.

I mean, who can really imagine all of these hard left ANTIFA members ever becoming sane, rational people you can reason with about economic issues or social problems or whatever? It’s not gonna happen. At best, the center might be won over by saner right wing voices and the hard left marginalized, but they’re not going away now that they’re that militant.

The reason everyone’s shouting and nobody’s brain is turned on is because of a massive decades-long propaganda effort to that very end. And it’s not on the left.

Yes, calling every Republican a racist moron for decades running now was an idea run by the Right.

As Glenn Reynolds has said repeatedly (paraphrased), once people believe that their arguments made to “respectable” sources are getting completely ignored, then they will start to entertain less respectable sources.

Look at what happened to Mitt Romney. If he is a vicious, evil man who will give some dude’s wife cancer — what candidate WON’T be treated like a pariah? Bush let Ted Kennedy write “No Child Left Behind” legislation…which the Democrats then attacked Bush for and the Kennedys (the world’s richest white trash family) still attacked him relentlessly.

Playing to the base works. It works great. Obama didn’t even PRETEND to play to anybody but his base.

LOL Tony, I will be so sad if I discover you’re just a troll someday and don’t actually believe all the silly things you say.

As mentioned, the left is the one who started calling people names so that their opinions didn’t have to be listened to or entertained as legitimate thoughts. How it became racist to be against government involvement in healthcare is beyond me! I thought that was just a disagreement about the size/role of government involvement in markets, silly me.

The media has been clearly biased for decades too, and it sure as hell isn’t biased towards the right. Anyone an inch to the right of Marx should be able to see that clearly, whether or not they think it’s a good thing or a bad thing.

The real question is Tony, do you think you’ll ever be able to be re-educated? Or are you and all your kind a lost cause that will have to be marginalized or thrown out of the country or some crazy extreme thing like that? If we give you California will you move there and leave us all alone?

Trump could just say the wall is built, FOX will undoubtedly parrot his lie, and these diabetic morons would be placated, and maybe even shut their stupid faces for a while. It’s not like any of this is connected to reality anyway.

Isn’t this issue about violence in response to a speaker? Shouting down a speaker falls under the guidelines of libertarianism. I don’t think Reason would even report this if it were liberals, gotta use this to make a “BOTH SIDES” points.

“Free speech only extends as far as it doesn’t block other’s free speech and debate.” Nope, it goes beyond that.

“What these fools are doing is verbal violence and they need to be escorted from the premises, by force if need be.” Verbal “violence”? WIH is that? What they did do is attempt the heckler’s veto, and should be escorted out for doing that.

This is like criticizing a person for firing back at someone shooting at them. It just seems insane to me. Obviously if there hadn’t been a hundreds instances of liberals doing this, conservatives wouldn’t be doing it too now. The onus of on the left to stop.

This shameful act of censorship is a good reminder that even though angry far-left students are at fault in the majority of recent college free speech debacles, they are by no means the only or paramount threat to the First Amendment?on campus or anywhere else.

Extremists on both sides suck. They can’t debate because their zealotry has no basis in fact and all they can do is shout. I have no problem with police batoning and arresting these buffoons so serious debate can take place.

Dear Reason, President Trump has NEVER promoted censorship of the press. Is you were REASONable you would understand that laws against slander and libel are NOT censorship. Freedom of speech does not cover outright lies of the press. Also, it’s funny how you’ve found one, ONE instance of conservatives shutting down a progressive event and now conservatives are equally as bad as progressives. What you are doing is not reasonable. You should be ashamed of yourself. A better story might be to see how the progressives react when conservatives employ the same tactics that have served the progressives so well.

The main difference is the lefty snowflakes will be entering the workforce and political arenas with their violent insistence that everything should go their way. This righty MAGA dumbass will probably die in an opoid induced haze in the next 5-10 years. I know which scares me more.

So glad the coloring book is done so we can get back to the equivocation.

proving that the current censorious impulse on the left is widely shared by the administrative right, even on campus.

The campus administrative right. Seriously?

And aside from Robby’s bedwetting, precisely what has trump done to censor. Was it something he said? You mean he expressed an opinion? If only there were a tradition and laws about expressing a political opinion…

…precisely what has trump done to censor. Was it something he said? You mean he expressed an opinion? If only there were a tradition and laws about expressing a political opinion…

Well, if Trump the campaigner voiced an opinion, you’d have a valid point. Unfortunately, when the President / Commander in Chief / Guy In Office to Enact Laws utters an opinion that is very much in line with the definition of censorship… that line between opinion and order gets fuzzy.

“Unfortunately, when the President / Commander in Chief / Guy In Office to Enact Laws utters an opinion that is very much in line with the definition of censorship… that line between opinion and order gets fuzzy.”

Only for those whose vision is “fuzzy”. He’s done nothing. Go “resist” something or other somewhere else.

Trump’s non-act of censorship is a good reminder that even though angry far-left activists are not only at fault for recent college free speech debacles, they are by no means the only or paramount threat to the First Amendment, a position held by the MSM and Democrats. President Trump, whose calls for muzzling of the press due to their constant barrage of lies, fake news, anti-America diatribes and abridgments of the speech rights of people they dislike are heaping disgust upon 1A.

As for the opinion of The Atlantic’s ’eminently reasonable civil libertarian Conor Friedersdorf’, who would cite the sunrise as grounds for Trump’s impeachment, hogwash! Having read some of his drivel, I find no evidence of reason, nor reason-ability anywhere.

“President Trump, whose calls for muzzling of the press due to their constant barrage of lies, fake news, anti-America diatribes and abridgments of the speech rights of people they dislike are heaping disgust upon 1A.”

Of course it was during the eight years of the Obama administration that the snowflake snowball started rolling down the hill. I refuse to blame Trump for any of this, even though I refused to vote for him. As Jesus said, “As you sow, so shall ye reap.”

“angry far-left students are at fault in the majority of recent college free speech debacles”

BS: Most real cases of campus censorship, as opposed to cry-baby conservatives trying to shut up everyone they disagree with by falsely portraying themselves as victims, have *progressive* victims, not right-wing. Just one progressive cause, BDSM, accounts for a majority of cases of campus censorship. But the facts don’t fit the narrative frame, so the facts have to go, even in a relatively even-handed “blame both sides” piece like this one.

Campuses are full of corporate-funded endowed chairs and “think tanks” that exist for the express purpose of producing conservative and pro-corporate “free market” propaganda, they give platforms to host loony right-wing “provocateurs”, etc. etc. etc. Their views are not being excluded, and they are not victims.